LWDC Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Masks and Masks

Chapter 54: Masks and Masks

Chapter 54: Masks and Masks

Lin Shengjia didn’t immediately agree to cooperate with Ning Fei, and Ning Fei said he would give him time to consider.

However, after evening self-study ended that night, Ning Fei accompanied Lin Shengjia all the way home and conveniently went to the Lin’s house again. He wasn’t there to complain about Lin Shengjia’s tardiness that morning, but rather to proactively tell the Lin’s couple that he happened to be Lin Shengjia’s teacher. Since improving Lin Shengjia’s grades was now also his job, he was willing to come back every evening to tutor Lin Shengjia in English for an hour, and could also tutor on weekends.

Lin Shengjia: “…”

In front of Lin Shengjia’s parents, the transmigrator couldn’t say no, because he still had to pretend to be a good, studious child in front of them. And the couple’s attitude towards Ning Fei was naturally one of warm welcome. To thank Ning Fei, they even offered that Ning Fei could visit often, have a casual meal, things like that, anyway, it was just a matter of extra chopsticks. Ning Fei usually ate in the cafeteria and was too lazy to cook on weekends, and since there wasn’t much food delivery available these days, he readily agreed to this disguised form of “tutoring fee.”

Thus, Lin Shengjia, after finishing evening self-study at nine o’clock every night, had another tutoring session from 9:30 to 10:30.

This tutoring was much more tiring than attending class and doing homework. Lin Shengjia thought Ning Fei would use a sea of ​​questions strategy, but he didn’t expect that he would start correcting and teaching from phonetics. He was also very strict, striving for perfection in listening, reading, and writing. Even Lin Shengjia’s pronunciation, which carried a previous accent, was gradually corrected by Ning Fei.

Lin Shengjia couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t this stuff just foreign Pinyin? Anyway, you can teach me to read, and it won’t be marked on the test paper, so why are we still learning this now? Besides, oral English isn’t tested in the college entrance examination here.”

Ning Fei didn’t bother to explain, “Just learn it if I tell you to, why so much nonsense.”

Lin Shengjia had no choice but to learn while holding back his anger. It wasn’t until two days later, when Lin Shengjia could finally correctly read unfamiliar words, that Ning Fei began to use the “flood irrigation” technique. It was also at this time that Lin Shengjia realized how much help familiarity with phonetics was for memorizing words and dictation.

Ning Fei not only reinforced the content Lin Shengjia was currently learning, but also reviewed from the beginning of senior high school. He even gave Lin Shengjia a mini tape recorder and several tapes, the contents of which were the listening comprehension sections of recent college entrance examinations. Ning Fei required Lin Shengjia to play these tapes continuously after returning home, while doing other things before going to bed. If Lin Shengjia needed some “sleep music” while sleeping, he could also set a timer to play half an hour of recording.

Lin Shengjia couldn’t help it again: “Why play this? I can’t understand it.”

Ning Fei still had that same old line: “I didn’t ask you to understand it right away, can’t you just play it as background music?”

Lin Shengjia’s parents were also informed of this matter and immediately expressed that they would also fully assist their son in tutoring English. So, not only before Lin Shengjia went to bed, but as long as Lin Shengjia was at home and not studying or doing other things that required concentration, the continuous English sentences would echo throughout the house, like demonic sounds piercing the ears.

Lin Shengjia was really numb.

He was already dizzy from studying at school, and now he was even more dizzy and disoriented at home. He wanted to talk to Ning Fei, but the only time he could calm down and think alone was basically before going to bed at night. However, even if he could block out those chattering English sounds, he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, making it difficult to spare a large amount of time to carefully ponder.

–Tsk, forget it, let’s just wait until the monthly exam this month to see if this tutoring method is effective.

*

Time passed just like that until the weekend.

Luo Chenghong visited his sister’s house on Saturday, but didn’t see Lin Shengjia and asked, “Where’s my nephew?”

“He’s having English tutoring at Teacher Ning’s place across the street,” Luo Xiuping replied with a smile. “You don’t know, Teacher Ning is very capable, and he also happens to be Jiajia’s teacher! So now, every evening and weekend, he’s tutoring Jiajia in English for free. When Jiajia comes back later, we’re going to play English at home, it’s called what… oh, creating a language environment!”

“‘Creating a language environment’ isn’t that simple, it’s another set of foreign learning methods, right? Just applying it rigidly.” Luo Chenghong didn’t think much of it, and just sat down and got up, “I’m going to visit and see how he’s ‘creating the environment’.”

Luo Xiuping pulled him: “Hey, don’t disturb their class.”

“It’s Saturday, if you don’t let the boy go out to play, he’ll be stifled to death, right?” Luo Chenghong said, “I’ll just go and see. If it’s inconvenient to disturb, I’ll come back. After they’re done studying, I’ll take Jiajia out to get some air.”

Luo Xiuping had recently felt that this younger brother had become very opinionated and didn’t seem easy to persuade, so she could only say, “Sigh… okay, then you go. I’ll cut a fruit platter, you take it over for Teacher Ning and Jiajia to eat.”

So, ten minutes later, Luo Chenghong knocked on Ning Fei’s door, holding a fruit platter in one hand.

Ning Fei opened the door. Seeing this strange uncle, Ning Fei raised an eyebrow slightly.

“I’m here to deliver fruit to comfort the hard-studying teachers and students.” Luo Chenghong heard the English broadcast inside, and saw Ning Fei standing at the door without moving, and smiled insincerely, “Aren’t you going to let me in?”

“Uncle, you can only speak English when you come in… ah.”

Lin Shengjia, who had just poked his head out from the living room behind, was glanced at by Ning Fei and covered his mouth.

“So, that’s how it is?” Luo Chenghong looked at Ning Fei, “I have to speak English if I go in?”

Ning Fei spoke fluent English: “Yes, when you step through this door, you also have to speak English.”

Luo Chenghong chuckled and continued to speak in Chinese, “This is the ‘language environment’ you’re creating?”

Ning Fei continued in English: “You can think of it that way.”

Luo Chenghong scanned Lin Shengjia over his shoulder: “Can he communicate entirely in English?”

Ning Fei: “So he’s been practically mute all morning, that was the first casual chat he’s said.”

Luo Chenghong: “Pfft…”

The two of them speaking in English and Chinese, at first glance, was a bit humorous, but it was actually quite smooth. For some reason, Ning Fei wasn’t too surprised that this “street hustler” could understand English. Perhaps he had already determined that this “uncle” had a problem, so he was in a state of “observing, not surprised” towards all of the other party’s behavior.

Luo Chenghong also listened carefully to the continuous English broadcast inside, and asked, “Is this also high school English content? Shenzhen Economic [News]?”

Ning Fei: “Lin Shengjia wanted to know the information of Shenzhen, so I read him the English economic report.”

“Who read it? You?”

“Is that a problem?”

“…” Luo Chenghong sized him up, as if he was re-examining this person, “You’re indeed a bit interesting.”

“Thanks, but I don’t need you to give me this evaluation again.” Ning Fei reached out to take the fruit platter from his hand, “If Mr. Luo doesn’t want to come in, you can leave.”

Luo Chenghong dodged his hand, “Why don’t I want to come in? I’m going to Shenzhen, I also want to know the economic situation of Shenzhen.”

Then, he really entered the house, carrying the fruit platter with him.

Lin Shengjia was stunned, watching Luo Chenghong put down the fruit platter and sit on the sofa, he couldn’t help but squeeze out a difficult sentence in English: “You can speak English too?”

He couldn’t even remember how to say “uncle” in English for a moment.

Luo Chenghong shrugged, not saying a word.

Ning Fei closed the door and glanced at him, pondering the real reason for this person’s entry, but on the surface, he was still focused on tutoring, acting as if Luo Chenghong didn’t exist.

And Luo Chenghong really didn’t interrupt, just silently watched the interaction between Ning Fei and Lin Shengjia, until the morning tutoring ended.

*

At noon, Ning Fei and Luo Chenghong both ate at the Lin’s house.

Luo Chenghong experienced having English listening comprehension with his meal, and still didn’t think much of it, but Lin Shengjia’s frustrated appearance pleased him. Even though Lin Shengjia kept giving him meaningful glances during the meal, he turned a blind eye. Even after the meal, when Lin Shengjia was about to open his mouth to say something to Luo Chenghong, Luo Chenghong turned his head and asked Ning Fei, “What’s the diopter of Teacher Ning’s glasses?”

Lin Shengjia’s words were interrupted, and the next second, he was pulled by Luo Xiuping to help clear the table and wash dishes in the kitchen. Lin’s father also left the living room, not knowing where he went, leaving only Ning Fei and Luo Chenghong in the hall.

Ning Fei pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and asked, instead of answering, “Why ask this?”

Actually, these were just plano lenses, purely for styling, Ning Fei got them to create a persona to deceive people.

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to invite Teacher Ning to go out to buy a helmet together in the afternoon and help me give some advice. Then we can go play in the suburbs, and run the car by the way.” Luo Chenghong leaned back on the chair, his tone lazy, “If Teacher Ning’s glasses have a low diopter, my car can be directly lent to you to play with. If the diopter is high, then you can only sit in the back.”

Ning Fei was amused by his words – amused because he thought it was so absurd that it sounded like a joke.

“Mr. Luo’s words, can I understand them as inviting me out to play?” Ning Fei lowered his eyes and smiled, “You seem to be sure that I will agree to you, but why should I agree to you?”

“It was Teacher Ning who suggested buying a helmet, shouldn’t you see a good thing to the end? Teacher Ning studied abroad and has knowledge, and also teach me how to choose a helmet.” Luo Chenghong said leisurely, “And since you said you just moved to this city, you probably don’t have any friends, right? It’s normal for us to make friends and go out to play together.”

Ning Fei raised an eyebrow: “Why should I be friends with you?”

“Because we have common topics, for example…” Luo Chenghong glanced meaningfully towards the kitchen, then turned back and blurted out, “Shenzhen Economic [News]?”

Ning Fei clearly saw his action of turning his head just now, and when he heard the four words “Shenzhen Economic [News]” at this moment, he couldn’t help but laugh. But he didn’t expose Luo Chenghong, he only replied with four words: “No. Won’t go.”

Luo Chenghong looked at him: “Why?”

–Because you are too greasy.

Luo Chenghong’s external conditions were okay, but his words and deeds were really not Ning Fei’s cup of tea. Ning Fei was too lazy to play with him, and he had no interest in acting with him.

“For no reason.” Ning Fei pushed his glasses, stood up, “I’m going back to prepare for class, Mr. Luo, play with your nephew.”

Luo Chenghong looked at him: “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll take my little nephew ‘crazy’?”

“Ha, up to you. He’s a high school student, students and elders should have a bit of self-awareness, right.” Ning Fei glanced at him with a smile that wasn’t a smile, and really turned around to say hello to the Lin family.

The Lin’s couple quickly stuffed him with a few more fruits and sent him out the door. Lin Shengjia then took the opportunity to sneak to Luo Chenghong’s side: “Uncle, take me out to play this afternoon?”

Luo Chenghong glanced at him casually: “…Okay.”

*

In the afternoon, Luo Chenghong took Lin Shengjia around Nancheng.

To be precise, it was to wander around some places mentioned by Lin Shengjia, and discuss some things along the way. While chatting, Luo Chenghong suddenly asked, “Have you encountered anything particularly unlucky recently?”

“Unlucky?” Faced with this sudden question, Lin Shengjia didn’t react for a moment, “No… does encountering that particularly annoying Ning Fei count?”

“That doesn’t count.” Luo Chenghong’s tone was casual, as if he was chatting, “Starting from when you met him, have you encountered any memorable bad things that even affected your life?”

“No.” Lin Shengjia was confused, but still honestly replied, “If I were that unlucky, my parents would definitely know. With my mom’s liking for publicizing things, you wouldn’t be able to hide it, right.”

“Really not? Think carefully.”

“Really not. It’s only been a week, would I have amnesia?”

Luo Chenghong finally stopped asking, just thoughtful.

–Didn’t use classic tricks to threaten people? Are there still such innocent and kind guys in that group?

——————–

Ning Fei: I’m flirtatious, but I’m also picky: D

This site has no pop-up ads, permanent domain name (volarereads.com)